“It hasn’t really started bothering me until the past couple of days. The first few times it happened, I didn’t think too much about it.”
“How many times has it happened?”
“At least a dozen over the past couple of weeks.”
“When was the last time?”
“Today. Maybe an hour ago.”
“Do you know the voice?”
“No. It’s a man- sounds like he is middle-aged. Definitely not a boy.”
Stephen watched Sydney push through the kitchen doors again and smiled back at her gently when she grinned at him from across the room. He could tell from her face that she was tired. As much as she would like to deny it, she was still recovering from the accident.
“Thank you for telling me, Marge. Let’s not tell her, okay? You’re right. She has enough to worry about.” He smiled at her and she smiled back, patting him on the shoulder.
“You’re a good boy, Stephen. She’s right to stick with you.”
“Well, I’m glad you approve, Marge.”
She walked away, her gnarled fingers darting out to snag the tip that someone had left her as she passed. She was secretly certain that the bus boys stole part of her tips. She tried not to leave them on the table too long in order to prevent the theft. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she saw one of them cleaning off a nearby table and she rushed over to grab that tip, as well.
“Hey, you come here often?” Sydney sidled up beside Stephen, bending to kiss his forehead. He tilted his head back to look at her, noting the slight flush in her cheeks.
“Oh, every once in a while. See there’s this girl…” His voice trailed off as he grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“Really? What’s she like?”
She squeezed his fingers as she spoke. She found herself wishing that they were in private. She’d suck on his fingers to see what effect it had on him. She was pretty sure she knew. She should be ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t. Letting go of her inhibitions was starting to grow on her. Stephen appraised her before he answered.
“Well, she’s young. And pretty. And a little bit sassy. Have you seen anyone around here that fits that description?”
“Not lately. But I’ll let you know if I come across her. In the meantime, want to hang out with me?” She beamed her biggest smile at him and he almost collapsed. She was absolutely beautiful.
“Okay. I’ll settle for you. For now. Just until I find the other one.”
She punched him on the arm and then grabbed it, leaning into him in a familiar way that he loved, while they walked out to his car. He opened her door like the perfect gentleman that his mama had taught him to be. As he waited for her to situate herself, he gazed absentmindedly around him at the trees rustling in the breeze and the cars lining the street.
His breath caught in his throat. Down the street, maybe two blocks away, a battered old black Trans Am was parallel parked. He could see a shadowy figure sitting inside behind the steering wheel. He couldn’t make out who it was…and he couldn’t for the life of him imagine who would have enough balls to show up again in the same exact car that they had ran Sydney down with.
He was careful not to act like anything was wrong and walked casually around to his side of the car, slamming the door as he got in. As he started the car, he asked, “Do you have Detective Daniels’ card in your purse?”
Sydney looked at him in surprise. “Yes, I think so. Why?”
“Pull it out and call him.”
She didn’t ask any more questions because the look on his face was startling. She simply dug through her purse, found the card and dialed the number.
“Is it ringing?” Stephen barely glanced at her, instead keeping his eyes on the road, flickering from time to time to the rear view mirror.
“Yes.” She was apprehensive. Something was wrong and she didn’t know what. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
“Let me have it.” He held his hand out and she placed her phone in his palm.
“This is Daniels.” The detective’s curt voice was loud enough that Sydney could hear it through the phone. She craned her ears to hear it better.
“Detective Daniels, this is Stephen James. I just picked Sydney up at the Sunshine Café on the corner of Sample and West. The Black Trans Am that hit her was waiting for us down the street and it is following us now.”
Sydney gasped and started to turn around, but Stephen grabbed her arm and shook his head. She slumped against the seat and looked straight ahead… deciding instead to focus on not hyperventilating. She suddenly found it incredibly hard to breathe. She focused on long pulls in, then exhaling slowly, feeling her breath rush over her teeth. When the first breath didn’t calm her, she tried it again.
“Yes, I can do that. It’s only five minutes from here. Yep, I understand.” Stephen flipped the phone closed and laid it gently back in her lap. It was apparent to her that he was being calm for her sake.
“Sydney, don’t think about it. Everything’s fine. You’re with me.” He grasped her hand for a moment, before returning both hands to the wheel. She saw him glance quickly into his rearview mirror again.
“Is it still back there?”
“Yes. We’re going to lead him to a little park nearby—Detective Daniels is going to be there. Lucky for us, he was already in the area.” He turned left and Sydney stared into her side mirror. Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of the black car just a few cars behind them. She sucked in her breath.
“Stephen, he’s passing!” The black car was weaving through traffic in order to get closer. Apparently, the driver wasn’t so concerned with being covert anymore.
“Shit- he must know that we saw him!” Stephen pressed the accelerator and the T-Bird edged forward, the heavy mass of the vintage car trembling as it sped up. The Trans Am was right behind them now, directly on their tail.
“We’re two minutes away- I need to keep him with us.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Sydney’s eyes were glued to her mirror, where she could plainly see the dented grill of the Trans Am hugging the back end of their car. She had given the car that dent. She swallowed hard.
“Can you see who it is?”
“No.” Her face was panicked as she tried to look behind her. Stephen kept his eyes on the road, as he maneuvered the car through traffic, trying to make sure that they didn’t lose the car behind them. Suddenly, their car lurched forward as the Trans Am slammed into their trunk.
“Oh my God—he’s hitting us! On purpose!”
Sydney gripped the armrest so hard that her fingers turned white. They were rammed again from behind, so hard that Sydney’s neck snapped forward like a rag doll and her teeth slammed together. Her arm flung out and braced the weight of her body against the door as she tried to anticipate the force of the next impact.
Stephen slung the T-Bird around the last corner and skidded to a stop in the dusty parking lot of the tiny neighborhood park. In a navy blue Crown Vic, Detective Daniels sat waiting. As soon as the Trans Am squealed by, he pulled out and flew after it in pursuit, red and blue lights flashing.
Sydney and Stephen stared at each other in shock. He reached over and pulled her to him, letting her tremble against his chest. She felt like a baby, but all she could do was shake.
“Why is this happening?”
Her voice was small, like a child’s. Stephen had to remember that while this situation would be unnerving to anyone, it was especially terrifying to her. She had spent her life in a glass bubble, removed from the real world.
“I don’t know. But we’re going to find out. I promise you that.” His voice was laced with steely resolve and he meant every word. He would find out, no matter what it took.
They sat still for the next fifteen minutes, while Stephen held her gently against his chest, stroking her hair and murmuring soothingly to her. She eventually calmed down and her shaking subsided. She had just pulled away when Detective Daniels’ car slid smoothly into the slot ne
xt to theirs. He was out of his car and standing next to them almost immediately.
“He lost me and I couldn’t get a good look at him. Did you see him?” he asked brusquely, as he leaned in Stephen’s window. He was dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt- so he was evidently off duty.
“No,” Stephen answered. “Neither of us could get a good enough look at his face. He was wearing dark clothes and a black ball cap pulled down low.”
“Well, Sydney… are you ready to talk yet?” The detective stared at Sydney pointedly.
“Detective, I wish that I could. I have no idea why this is happening. There is no one that I know of that hates me enough to want me dead. I can’t figure it out.” Her voice was helpless and small and every ounce of her vulnerability shone through in it. Stephen glanced at the detective. Surely even he could hear it.
“Alright. Can you guys step out of the car? Let’s sit down at the table over there and go over some things.”
He strode purposefully toward a rickety picnic table sitting on the edge of the playground. He didn’t even look back to see if they were following him- he just assumed they would.
He was right. They climbed out of the car and trailed after him, each taking a seat at the table. Sydney looked around nervously.
“I know this is silly, but I don’t feel safe out in the open. What if he is waiting for me? Somewhere where he can see me.”
“It’s not silly.” The detective leaned toward her. “It’s not silly at all. It’s very possible that he will follow you everywhere you go until he takes care of whatever it is that he is supposed to do. Is he supposed to scare you? Hurt you? Take you? Kill you? We need to figure this out.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to help you. I really, really don’t.” She focused on his black leather loafers rather than his face.
“Let’s start by you trying to remember anything out of the ordinary that has been going on. Anything- even if you don’t think it is related.” He waited, his penetrating eyes not leaving her face for a moment. His manicured fingers tapped the dirty table as he waited.
Stephen stared at her for a second before he spoke. “Well, there are a couple of things. I don’t know if they are related…”
“It doesn’t matter. Tell me and let me decide.” The detective shifted his gaze to Stephen.
“Sydney just found out that her father is gay. That he has been gay all of these years and has hidden it from everyone. Except his wife. Sydney’s mother has known all along.”
Detective Daniels’ stared flatly at Sydney, studying her.
“How did you just now figure that out? I thought you weren’t speaking?”
“We’re not. I figured it out the other night. It dawned on me when I was thinking about something else. What? Aren’t you going to die of shock now?” She smiled a humorless smile. “Family Values First and all that?”
“No. Nothing in that screwed up world surprises me anymore.”
He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and drew one out, lighting it and then inhaling slowly, staring off into the distance.
“You know those things will kill you, right?” Sydney smiled a tiny smile.
“I think you’re in more danger at the moment than I am. Let’s focus on you, shall we?”
He actually smiled back at her, something she hadn’t yet seen. He had a nice smile and she found herself wondering why he didn’t use it more.
He turned to Stephen. “What was the other thing? You said there were a couple.”
Stephen looked hesitantly at Sydney. Her brow wrinkled as she stared back in confusion.
“What other thing is there?” she asked.
“Another waitress at the Sunshine told me today that someone keeps calling and asking for Sydney, but always hangs up before they have a chance to bring Sydney to the phone. He doesn’t want to talk to her- he just wants to find out if she is there. Marge told me that he sounds middle-aged or so.”
Shock was evident on Sydney’s face, but she didn’t react. She simply sat still, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her knuckles white again. Stephen glanced worriedly at her, before addressing the detective again.
“Sydney is telling you the truth. She doesn’t know anything. What do you think is going on?”
“What I think is going on… is that Sydney does know something. Something career ending.” The breath froze in Sydney’s throat as she stared at the detective in shock.
“You think my father has something to do with this? But I’m not going to tell anyone what I know. I wouldn’t do that. Do you really think that he is trying to hurt me?”
“It’s the best I’ve got right now. I think it’s a pretty clear motive, don’t you?” He stared back at her, almost kindly. “Sydney, when people get to the level that your father is, their priorities tend to change. They don’t behave like the rest of us… life gets skewed for them.”
His tone held notes of sentiment and regret in it and Sydney watched him curiously.
“You sound like you know from experience.”
“Unfortunately, I do. My step-dad is a senator. Paul Hayes from Ohio.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Sydney and Stephen both stared at him incredulously, each silently trying to figure out what to say. Sydney felt the headache that had been building in the base of her neck turn into a pulsing throb behind her left ear.
Finally, she cleared her throat, glanced at Stephen and then looked back at the Detective. At the very least, this made sense. His taste was much too expensive for a detective. He came from money.
“Um. Detective, I’m not absolutely positive, but I think… I mean, what I’m trying to say is that… I think your step-dad is the person that my dad is having an affair with.”
He stared at her blankly, not reacting.
“What makes you say that?”
His sharp eyes were trained unflinchingly on her, waiting for an explanation. She restlessly fidgeted with her fingers while she replied.
“Months ago, I saw your dad and mine walking together upstairs during one of my dad’s parties. They were alone and I can’t explain it, but they seemed much too familiar. The look on your dad’s face was so... intimate. And then, I got a text from my dad the other night. It was meant for someone else, asking to see them because my mom was gone. He stores my name right next to your dad’s in his phone- under Princess. Like I said, I can’t explain it, but it is a very strong feeling that I have.”
The detective took another long pull on his cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly. As it drifted upward in a gray cloud, he steadily stared at Sydney through it.
“You don’t have to explain. Trust me, I know hunches. And this actually makes sense. There have been things over the years that have made me question…” he trailed off as he stared pensively into the distance. “But this changes everything, you know.”
“How so?” She felt flustered; still confused and a little dazed from being chased by the Trans Am. Because her thoughts were muddled, she couldn’t fathom why this knowledge would change anything.
He stared at her again, his blue eyes piercing hers.
“Sydney, I’m even more convinced that this is a clear motive.”
She inhaled sharply, shaking her head slowly from side to side. He couldn’t be right. Her father might not love her the way she wanted him to, the way a normal father would, but surely he wouldn’t want to hurt her. Yet, even as she thought it, the doubts were already setting in.
The most important thing to her father was- and always had been- his career. He had watched a hundred different political careers destroyed by scandal and in her heart, she knew that he would go to great lengths to keep this particular scandal from ever seeing the light of day. Her heart turned into a lump of ice buried within her chest. It was a possibility. A real possibility that her dad was behind this. She felt numb as she limply turned to look at Stephen.
The look on his face was one of disbelief and she could tell that he wa
s mulling over the exact same thing. He reached over and grasped her hand.
“Sydney… surely not. He wouldn’t…” But his voice trailed off uncertainly. He didn’t even know her father and he was well aware of that fact. He had no way of knowing what Randall Ross was and wasn’t capable of. He straightened his shoulders and turned to the detective.
“So what now?”
“Now, I do some more investigating. You know, my job.”
The detective’s voice was sarcastic, but not in an unfriendly way. It felt more like the joking between friends. This new revelation seemed to have plunged through the ice that had been between them from the beginning.
“But what should Sydney do?” Stephen was persistent. The incident today only escalated his concern about Sydney’s safety. Particularly if her father did turn out to be behind it… it meant that deep pockets were funding the whole thing. And deep pockets could accomplish a lot. A whole lot more than he could.
“You need to maintain a low profile. I’ll have a patrol going past your house regularly and if you see anything- and I mean anything- out of the ordinary, call me right away. Sydney, if I were you, I wouldn’t go anywhere alone. Stay with someone at all times, you’ll be safer that way.”
He stared at her seriously as he spoke, making sure that she listened. He reached over and grasped her wrist lightly.
“Sydney, don’t underestimate this. Your life could very well depend on your caution.”
She felt numb as she stared back at him first uncertainly and then with resignation. She knew he was right. Her life was in danger- that much was apparent. Until she knew for sure who was behind it, she had to treat it as though it could be anyone. And honestly, it could be.
She fervently wished that instead of all those piano and tennis lessons she had taken throughout her life, that she had taken some self-defense classes instead. What was she supposed to do with a tennis racquet now, hit an assailant with it?
Detective Daniels stood and stretched, then turned to them again.
“You know… here’s something to think about. He’s probably trying to keep you quiet. If you are pro-active and release this information to the press… then it is possible that you will take yourself out of danger.”